So how is it that you have to hold a licence and registration to purchase the most basic of firearms but anyone can purchase evil looking and deadly military style knives over the counter, even in Lithgow?

There are more restrictions on the purchase of cigarettes than on the purchase of hunting knives. Doesn't make sense to me and surely not to anyone unfortunate enough to encounter a knife wielding crazie. 

DIG out them old photograph records. Back in a former life the Black Diamonds became Lithgow's first band to win a recording contract and instant fame.

Keyboard player Brian (aka 'Fearless') Wilkinson was a young printer at the Mercury before becoming a rock god and even today tickles the ivories.

Anyway the Diamonds morphed into a band called Tymepiece and according to our muso contact Darcy Rosser the LPs by the group are now bringing four figure sums from collectors. OK, start rummaging in the shed!

A very recent and very interesting addition to the war memorial precinct in Lithgow's Queen Elizabeth Park is a very professional marble tablet engraved in English and Greek and paying tribute to Australian and New Zealand servicemen who fought and died in the defence of Greece and Crete during World War Two.

It's a gift from the Greek-Macedonian Association of Australia but we're intrigued to find out how they came to choose Lithgow. 

AT any level of government pre polling facilities have become something of a farce. 

There are signs stating that you need to declare a reason to vote early. But no one takes any notice, no one asks and no one cares.

Seems there were around 5000 who were not going to be in town on election day for the recent council ballot.